http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/lake-michigan-shore-s5.jpgConservationists from across the state to speak out against the plan to siphon off seven million gallons a day of Great Lakes water.

MADISON – Conservationists from across the state will speak out today against a plan to siphon off seven million gallons a day of Great Lakes water solely for manufacturing giant Foxconn – an unprecedented betrayal of the core intent of the hard-won, bipartisan Great Lakes Compact.

At 6 p.m. today in Sturtevant at the SC Johnson iMET Center, 2320 Renaissance Blvd, the Department of Natural Resources will hold a public hearing on Racine’s diversion application.

The diversion plan – like the entire Foxconn deal – has been rushed through for an approval without the necessary information needed to make an informed decision – including how the water will be used in the manufacturing process and the quality of the water returned to the Great Lakes.

If approved, the plan would allow the City of Racine, which sits inside the Great Lakes basin, to divert seven million gallons of water per day – that’s equivalent to 875 tanker trucks – to Mount Pleasant, a township that’s only partially in the basin. There, Foxconn will consume 2.7 million gallons a day to manufacture flat screen TVs.

Under the Great Lakes Compact, diversions are meant to provide water for uses such as municipal drinking water and groundwater replenishment for family wells. This is the first time a state in the compact has been so brazen as to suggest a diversion almost exclusively for a private company.

“In a new Marquette poll this week, 62 percent of voters are concerned the Foxconn plant will have a negative impact on water and environmental quality,” Kerry Schumann, executive director, said. “This hearing will be the only opportunity for the public to comment on a huge decision that will have long-term impacts for this project and potentially set precedent for future compact diversions.”

Staff from Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters will be available for interviews before and after the hearing.